#1642hqsevent

[gudandewangzi]

@1642hqs-starters​ || open || the main ballroom || no cap

Of all the parties Chenyu had attended since arriving in France, this was by far the most confusing. Entertaining, to be sure, but… confusing, also. There was something very familiar about gazing over the crowd and being unable to recognise a single face; it was, after all, the same experience Chenyu had had when he first arrived in France. But at that time the cause had been his own lack of experience, and not the decorative masks everyone wore, or held in front of their faces.

”So the point is not to know who anyone is?” he asked aloud, through the mask which had been tied over his face by serving staff. There was, despite the obvious confusion in his voice, a great amount of delight colouring his tone. He greatly doubted The Forbidden City would ever allow such a party, would ever permit possible mixing of servants and nobles, or risk the possibility for subterfuge. The novelty bubbled in Chenyu’s body, turning his mood quickly towards giddy excitement.

[ursclabekele]

@1642hqs-starters​ open || the masquerade ball || no cap

If Ursula ever had doubts that the Fantômes were wrong, and that Royals were still fit to rule their kingdoms, she would only have to consider this party and all her doubts would vanish. They had set their barn alight. They had blackmailed them. They had even killed a king, but still the Royals partied as if nothing had happened, as if their worlds weren’t one slip of ablade away from ending.

Not that Ursula was truly complaining, mind. Their foolishness and overconfidence only gave her yet another way to place herself in the centre of it all, to find information, to get close enough to the fragile, human bodies of the monarchs. Close enough to smell. Close enough to kill, if she wanted.

With a pair of borrowed slippers and a matching gown, and with her face all but fully masked, the only thing that could give Ursula away would be her voice. Even her rugged hands were disguised with finicky gloves, and her hair had been pomaded and wrestled with until it somewhat fit the European style. She blended seamlessly with the others around her, dripping in finery, tottering in wedge-shaped heels.

Tottering, perhaps, a bit too much.

”My apologies,” Ursula let out in a rush as her borrowed slipper-heel wobbled, and she swayed to her left into the personal space of a maybe-stranger.

[xijuanz]

@1642hqs-starters​ | open 

he was on his third...no, fifth goblet of wine. the alcohol was free and xijuan was not one to ignore free ; that also meant he would consume as much as he could. xijuan could hold his liquor, as long as he didn’t drink on an empty stomach. thankfully, food had been served beforehand & the ball was saved from a humiliating scene. he was a giggly drunk & would stumble about as he chatted endlessly -- many friends had confessed how unreasonable he was in that state. his snacking dulled him to a buzz & his behavior was more of an outward friendliness. “do you think the kitchen staff will know if i swipe a goblet for myself ?” xijuan asked no one in particular, raising the cup to eye level and turning it once in hand. the man seemed to not have a care in the world as the wine sloshed & droplets trickled over the brim. 

[dawnflooded]

Well, at least the weather seemed to want to have a party, if not anyone else. It was a perfect, cloudless day, with just enough of a breeze in the air to make milling about outside a most pleasant experience. Tents had been set up on the grounds, providing refreshments and entertainment and although the levels of enthusiasm still seemed quite low, at least most people were outside. So naturally, Beatriz decided this was the best time for one of her favorite activities – snooping. Well, it was too halfhearted to be called that, perhaps. More like a quick walkthrough. 

She was normally good at figuring out the layout of new castles, but she still had to at least make an effort. And it was easier to remember things when people weren’t around to distract her. Though she wouldn’t really mind if she encountered someone else – this looked like the perfect opportunity for underhanded things, with everyone else so distracted.  Beatriz paused at the entrance of what seemed to be a concert room, to take a better look at the harp left standing on a podium. She had been consistently practicing in the past five years, but in all honesty, she hadn’t felt like playing a harp in a long time. Now her fingers were tingling with the ghost of excitement. Well, announcing her presence would definitely absolve her of suspicion, she decided. And besides, why should she make the effort of finding other lurkers when she could make them come to her, instead.  It wasn’t like Beatriz wouldn’t want to draw attention to herself. She sat down, plucking at the strings, making sure everything was in order, before beginning to play in earnest. 

@1642hqs-starters​

[dawnflooded]

Sefu was – somewhat – in his cups. Nowhere near about to make a spectacle of himself, but the alcohol was definitely making its presence felt. And from his now slightly altered perspective, lounging on a settee – no more seeing the tops of people’s heads – he couldn’t help but feel it was all a little gawdy. Oh, he was certain his hosts had spared no expense and had arranged everything to the highest standard with whatever skilled workers they had left, so of course not everything could be perfect, but perhaps they shouldn’t have bothered, at all. Set up tables for talks, rather than feasts. He wasn’t entirely certain what reason anyone had for celebrating – after all not one treaty has been signed since coming here. “Tell me –“ Sefu turned his head slightly, to look at Sofia curiously. “– do you think our nuptials would’ve been as extravagant, or would we have known to show self-restraint?”

@ofeuphemisms

[dawnflooded]

@ofdevotiions​ && @gcdlyfury​

There was not much to do in France. Or rather, there was plenty, but not of the sort Sefu was accustomed to keeping himself busy with. While letters were being dispatched, answers tarried over the great distance between the two countries, and his work had greatly slowed down, finding himself twiddling his thumbs more often than not – if this was what it felt like to be a gentleman of leisure, Sefu feared he might not be cut out for the job. He’d taken part in the festivities his hosts had thrown, but it was halfhearted and he’d kept his distance from too large groups. As a consequence, he had a lot of time to just walk around and try to get the lay of the land and when the fireworks display was announced, he knew the perfect spot. Telling Amara where to meet him, he’d started off for the location first, and settled, waiting for his sister. Not many people had chosen that particular place on the lawn, and he felt relatively secluded, far away enough from other clusters of nobles to not have to worry about eavesdroppers. Not that he had anything in particular to tell her, though he supposed she might have things to tell him. He hoped she did, because he could feel his mind begin to cannibalize itself from too much leisure. A distraction was sorely needed.

They approached from behind him, and despite the small pocket of silence he was in, the rest of the gardens were quite noisy, so he hadn’t noticed their footsteps until they were almost on top of him. Sefu tilted his head back, the beginning of a grin on his face, and nearly did a double take. “Hello you two,” he was almost certain there was no catch in his voice – how could he have forgotten to mention this to Mariam? Straightening back around to hide his sheepish expression, he patted the blanket he was sitting on in invitation. “Come on, the show’s about to start.”

[dawnflooded]

@r0yalbloods​ [santiago]

Sefu had been practically raised with horses. He’d certainly been put on one before he could even walk, but despite all that, he considered himself merely adequate. He’d never quite bothered with the whole bond concept between man and beast, but he was fairly confident in his capacity to control unfamiliar animals. 

That was clearly an error in judgement on his part, for the horse’s buck took him completely by surprise and by the time he could even think to react, he’d already been thrown off the saddle. He twisted his back, landing at a somewhat awkward angle, but unhurt. At least he’d gotten a better hang of how to fall off a saddle since he was so appalling at staying on it. 

A festival was in full swing in the castle gardens, but he’d wanted a break from the people and opted for a ride instead. Dusting himself off, he straightened, looking around the deserted landscape. It wasn’t long until he caught glimpse of someone else. They seemed close enough to have seen his fall, but it wasn’t as if Sefu could do anything about that, either way, and he’d rather not walk all the way back to the lodgings, so the consideration was dismissed on the grounds of its uselessness. 

“Oi!” Sefu called, keeping the sound short, choosing instead to raise and arm and wave it above his head. He walked towards the rider, squinting a little in the sun as he waited for them to get closer. The man seemed familiar, but in a hazy sort of way – it took a few seconds for Sefu to place him, but by the time the knight was close enough to hear him without having to resort to shouting, he was fairly confident he knew his name. “Santiago, good man,” he hoped this wouldn’t be yet another instance of him overestimating his own abilities. “It seems I find myself in need of a ride. Would you mind assisting me?”